Is Using Plastic To Store Food Dangerous For Your Health And Well-Being?

Plastics are everywhere, aren't they? From our grocery stores to our streets to our oceans, the inclusion of plastic has become an omnipresent menace that we can’t get rid off because of our reliance on them.

What’s become an increasingly worrying fact is plastic that is used directly in contact with the food we eat; especially because of the growing evidence of the harm it can cause to our health and well-being.

Polycarbonates are the plastic that is often used in storage containers, bottles and plastic containers and can release bisphenol A (BPA) into your body. BPA is said to have a harmful estrogen-mimicking effect that is the root cause of all sorts of health issues. The list of health ailments includes low sperm count, the risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer and early puberty.

PVC, on the other hand, is commonly used to make cling films that are used to directly wrap foods and the lids for jars and bottles. PVC contains chemicals, such as phthalates and epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) that can affect your reproductive health, for instance. Too much exposure to PVC has also been linked to an increased risk of developing cancer.

One of the other main culprits that have now been well documented its omnipresence in the foods we consume is microplastics.

Turns out we’ve been consuming tap water polluted with microplastics in it. In fact, a recent study based on samples collected from 14 countries state that people may be ingesting between 3,000 and 4,000 microparticles of plastic from tap water every year.

"Most of the tap water that was tested revealed "83 percent were found to contain plastic particles," according to the report compiled by Orb Media, based on tests conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota and the State University of New York.

REUTERSREPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

From waste plastics, toothpaste, facial scrubs, exfoliants and edible items, such as sea salt, microplastics exists in a countless number of items we use.

Almost five million tons of plastic is expected to be dumped into the ocean, contaminating the sea salt we use. Researchers discovered hundreds of microscopic plastic particles in every kilogram of salt we consume. That means on an average a consumer of salt has around a thousand tiny plastic beads every year.

The plastic can be broken down into particles up to 5mm in size or lower and are often invisible to the naked eye. Their tiny size allows them to be easily absorbed into marine life as well as the human body. Scientists in Austria say they've detected tiny bits of plastic in people's stool for the first time, but experts caution the study is too small and premature to draw any credible conclusion.

M.BLOG.NAVER.COM

They found up to 20 pieces of plastic in every 10 grams of a stool sample. The researchers believe that plastic could damage the immune system and raise the risk of transmitting diseases.

The plastic can be broken down into particles up to 5mm in size or lower, which is why they seem invisible to the naked eye. Their tiny size allows them to be easily absorbed into marine life as well as the human body.

What’s worrying is that their small particulate size allows them to pass through the intestine into the bloodstream as well as others into other organs. In fact, microplastics are even found in the air, allowing them to enter your lungs.

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

While there is an extensive amount of research being carried out to assess the degree of potential risk microplastics cause to human beings, current research is suggestive enough to indicate that we are better off limiting our usage of plastics with the food we consume.

Pregnant women need to be specifically wary of their exposure to plastics along with their food. "The public is becoming well educated on the debate surrounding BPA safety, as well as other chemicals. Although there is still work to be done to translate these rodent effects to human pregnancy, this research could provide expectant mothers with important information on what to avoid to best protect their babies," says Deborah Kurrasch of the University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada, after conducting a study to measure the effect exposure to BPA has on the brain.